The Nano is Here — a Car for

Finally, the car that has practically defined Spend Management thinking in the automotive sector is alive. Well, almost. According to the BBC, "the Nano will now go on sale across India next month, with deliveries starting in July" at a cost of 100,000 rupees ($1979 at the time of the announcement). Even though the "basic model has no airbags, air conditioning, radio, or power steering," it will allow individuals and families who never thought they would be able to buy a car to put their ozone-eating scooters by the side of the road for good. As the article notes, "with seven million motorcycles sold last year in India, Tata is eyeing a huge marketplace for the Nano." While I'm sure the Nano will be the butt of many jokes worldwide (remember the Yugo in the US years ago?), we should all celebrate it's arrival because Tata had the will to not just negotiate every last penny with suppliers to make the car profitable, but to rethink and collaborate with their supply base on dozens of individual designs to jointly take cost down. The Tata Nano is the fuel-sipping embodiment of Spend Management.